NOWELL: WE MUST BEAT THE ODDS

JACK NOWELL is desperate for Exeter to go from tears to beers next Saturday and become England’s Premiership champions against the odds. For England winger Nowell, 26, last year’s 27-10 Premiership final defeat by Saracens was the worst moment of his career. Now he wants redemption after Exeter booked their place in the final with a dominant win over Northampton. ‘Not just in my Exeter Chiefs career but playing rugby, that defeat was the worst,’ said the Cornish star. ‘Especially after feeling what it was like to win it. ‘Losing last year, feeling the hurt and looking around the changing room and seeing the boys upset, crying, I sat there and realised the year ahead was going to be a different one. ‘We haven’t worked so hard to put ourselves in this position to go and lose it again.’ Exeter finished eight points clear of Saracens in the Premiership table, lost to their foes with a heavily rotated team recently but beat them 31-13 at home in December when both teams were at full strength. But they will not go to HQ fancied. And for that reason Nowell thinks beating Sarries — and many of his international teammates — would be even sweeter than their first title win in 2017. ‘They are the best in England, the best in Europe,’ he added. ‘If we are honest, that’s where we want to be and where we are trying to drive ourselves to. ‘We felt we let ourselves down in the Champions Cup this year and they are a team that has done it and put themselves up there. It would be special one to do a job on them.’